Smother
by Breathe Forever
Summary: In a blood rage, Shizuo kills not only three offenders, but also the victim. They are mangled beyond recognition and Shizuo feels a tremendous amount of self pity and hatred, accepting his fate as a prisoner for the rest of his life. Yet, someone comes for him down the alleyway, a sly face and red eyes that say he isn't to be trusted, says: "How about I help you?"
1. Chapter 1

He figured it would be on an almost rainy day, the moon high in the sky and the smell of summer in the air. The humidity was suffocating him, cutting off his throat, so much that he didn't even bother to hold the tie that was ripped from his school uniform, throwing it into some far off alleyway corner and never to return. He didn't care about it that much anyway, proprieties absent from his mind, as he preferred self comfort over certain mannerisms.

Like whether or not he was dying from the heat.

But when it came to a specific people that he didn't want to mention, to hell with their own pleasures; just get a dash of nice, a bit of "I don't mind being around you" and he'd genuinely enjoy their company.

Maybe.

He wasn't a picky person and doubted he'd ever be, but he wouldn't want to be around someone who did nothing but be an asshole. He wanted a true friend, one who'd listen and stay, who wouldn't mind sleepovers or y'know… friend stuff.

He wasn't exactly sure what friends did.

He knew they talked about things, but he couldn't imagine himself talking to someone for over a minute, let alone five or ten hours. Did friends like to hug, or did they like to sleep by each other? Did they share clothes, share food?

But he supposed it depended on the person, on the type of friendship, not on scenes from chick flicks. He wasn't even sure why he bothered watching them except to please his kind mother with someone to watch it with; perhaps Shizuo himself needed to be around another person too, from time to time.

The thought made him bitter.

He didn't like relying on anyone but himself, and he was sure that pathetic flea Izaya would more than agree; he was practically oozing independence and confidence. Confidence of which Shizuo himself lacked, but he didn't care much about that. If he could know even the slightest bit of kindness, know what it meant and actually be nice to people, then by all means, fuck confidence.

He sighed, stopping a little ways away from the next block. He couldn't find the energy to walk the next step, to be completely honest with himself. He tried releasing some of the pent up stress from over the past few days to leave his stiff shoulders, shrugging out of his school blazer. It was starting to get too tight after his more recent growth spurts, the one right after he dyed his hair blond after the suggestion by one of Shinra's friends, Tom. It seemed like a pretty valid idea, quickly taking to it and bleaching brown.

Personally, he liked his hair when it was gold. It stood out, made it obvious to people that he was a bright yellow danger sign. It meant that anyone who approached him now didn't fear him, or didn't know him.

Yet, no one besides the flea, Shinra and Tom have come to him.

He likes to think that maybe Shinra and Tom are his friends, but he knows that the only thing they know besides his name is his real hair color. Shinra had a deeper level of knowledge, knowing his blood type, his white blood cell count, but that was all physical. All part of some type of sick obsession he had with anything to do with "abnormal" people.

And Izaya… Izaya wasn't scared of anything. Not of someone who can snap his neck with one finger, not of monsters.

He wondered, what exactly happened… that made Izaya who he was now? The person who wanted nothing more than to make his life miserable, the one with the twisted smiles that were nothing but fake.

Who… what kind of sick person was he, anyway?

In the white noise of everything past his mind, there were faint sounds of shuffling, of feet sliding against the dirty, slimy ground of the alley he was residing in. Once or twice he heard it, but brushed it off, thinking it was his own thoughts.

"… sa-… "

"… quiet!"

"HEL-"

Shizuo heard it this time. The sound of a girl screaming, being muffled by a hand he couldn't see. He had never been involved in something of this intensity, of a possible mugging, of a possible murder, but the anger that suddenly swelled inside his chest was in no way lost of such passion.

This time, instead of blindly rushing in, he stood still and listened to any giveaway noise that would place them easily within his mind. He wanted to settle this right, to settle this simply, rendering them unconscious for a half hour maybe, taking the girl home safe and sound.

At least, that's what he had planned.

A crunch echoed about six feet away from him, behind a dumpster. It was metallic, possibly a can and then there was a specific squelch that he could recognize immediately.

He knew that sound.

He…

All the blood rushed to his face in a combination of fury and humiliation, pretenses of sticking to a smart plan for once flying out the metaphorical window. He wanted to burn them, kick them, smash them, disembowel them for ever treating another person like this.  
He wanted to kill them.

It was the only thought that ran through his mind as bone was snapped and cracked beneath his knuckles, collapsing into itself, bleeding out dark crimson. Through a haze he remembered seeing a brutally mauled face that was no longer recognizable from the others, a girl, uncovered completely, whimpering and crying, wondering why the world was so cruel to her, before she was gone, too. Her body looked twisted and mangled, as if she were thrown into a person-sized blender, but still remained a somewhat human form before being liquified.  
They were so brutally smashed that their skulls were fractured and wide open.

It was around this time that Shizuo finally came to and bore judgement against what he saw.

He couldn't tell their feet from their hands, where their head started or their waist.

He was horrified. Had he gotten stronger? Had he gotten so strong that he could kill someone in one hit now?

The thoughts terrified him. Made him slip more and more into self hatred.

He was disgusting. A monster.

He knew he was going to jail for what he did, locked up for the rest of his cruel life. He was going to rot away in jail, unable to speak because they'd have to sedate someone so powerful, unable to move, until he dies. Life will be nothing but a blur, a distant memory.

And then he'd rot and rot inside the ground, never to awake again.

He was just fifteen, but…

He deserved it.

He was a monster.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself, for the future him that wouldn't see past a wall for decades to come. For years and years… The very notion made tears prick from behind his eyes, his bright golden eyes, leaving in tiny rivers that flowed down drop by drop. A whimper escaped his lungs, a sniff, a runny nose and he silently accepted this outcome that was his only path.

Life's not for everyone, after all.

There was a scuff of sneakers hitting concrete, somewhere from behind him, stopping when they've reached the area in which Shizuo was crouching, cradling his face in his arms. Shizuo noticed the presence, but didn't acknowledge it until a minute later when his head lifted, hues trailing up black pants, a red shirt, black blazer, until they landed on a pretty countenance, with a sharp auburn gaze and fluffy obsidian hair. His pale cheeks were flushed from running, although he was composed to the point where it looked like he was only blushing. There were no pants, no signs of rush, but there was a spark of something in his impassive garnet, of maturity and slight understanding..

"What a day to see you on, Shizu-chan," he spoke, a calm, even voice. He looked like he was about to say something snippy and mean, but held himself back.

"How about I help you?"


	2. Chapter 2

School was usually something Shizuo hated, despite having passing grades and managing to get into Raira Academy. It was boring and dull and he found himself falling halfway to dreamland before even a quarter of class was over, rolling eyes barely able to focus on the sheets of paper handed out. Sometimes he copies off of Shinra, sometimes he remembers what the teacher taught him, but most times he just sleeps and makes everything up after school. The teachers seem to understand that he's a genuinely nice kid, unlike most of the students there, he just unfortunately happens to be a trouble magnet.

Everyone knows he has abnormal strength, yet the adults don't believe anyone. They know he's strong, strong enough to take on buff guys, but they doubted he'd actually win; he was a bit too lean and skinny to contain hidden muscles.

Students were truly worried for teachers alone with Shizuo Heiwajima, the living impossibility. Some wished he would finally commit murder against one of their most hated and be sent to jail; better to be safe than sorry, isn't that right?

But they knew that he wouldn't do that at the same time, for if he truly were capable of homocide wouldn't he already have done it? They weren't sure, weren't ever sure with his quick temper and more times than not biting words, so they gave him space. Lots of space.

So much space that he became lonely.

"Hey, Heiwajima-kun," Shinra spoke from beside his desk, disheveled umber hair sticking out near the nape of his neck. "What happened yesterday? You weren't at school."

Shizuo was waiting for this question to come up, having thought of a million excuses already. He thought of things like "helping the poor" and "getting sick", but they weren't believable. While he was a kind-hearted boy, he wouldn't go out of his way to help the community. So he settled for the most believable, the things happening at present.

"Kasuka was going to another try out in Sunshine 60 with my mom. I decided to join in." He said. His voice gave way to faint bemusement as he looked back on that one weirdo from a while ago, commenting on something about "stunning features" and "perfect frame" before Shizuo just gave up and punched him right in the face.

What exactly was appealing about a monster?

"You really are a monster," Izaya commented in blunt awe, crimson hues glittering in excitement. "To be able to do that so fast… you really amaze me, Shizu-chan."

Something bitter and metallic pooled under Shizuo's tongue, briefly recognizing it as blood. "I know I am," he agreed quietly. "And what the fuck are you talking about?" He wiped at his nose as discreetly as he could, but knew he was failing at keeping the fact that he cried a secret.

"Help."

He sighed. "I'm far beyond help Izaya, but I won't stoop so low as to ask for your hellish assistance."

"Really, now? Even when you're going to jail?"

He didn't reply.

"Perhaps worse, maybe Fuchu prison. Actually, I'd be willing to bet that's a pretty good chance of where you're going to go. And I can prevent that."

The offer was very tantalizing, even Shizuo had to admit that. He doubted Izaya really could prevent it, but the fact that someone was going to help, going to stand by him until the very last second, sounded so crushingly beautiful that Shizuo really did debate his options. He could rot or he could live, but he doubted either would make such a difference, as the deed was done either way, the poor girl could never walk again, the offenders would never harm. He wished there was some other way this could have played out, a happy ending for once.

He knew there wasn't anything like a happy ending in real life, knew that he was doomed either way, so he accepted it. He decided that he'd do this as a little parting gift to Izaya.

"I guess."

He saw Izaya blink once, blink twice, almost as if he couldn't believe Shizuo went along with what he said. Then a righteous smirk spread across his lips, like the blond had just agreed to selling his soul to him.

"Okay then, Shizu-chan," He laughed. "Are you sure?"

Shizuo wasn't particularly ready for lunch. He had an uneasy feeling crawling up his sides and stomach, like someone would come out and hunt him down. He thought that maybe Izaya told the police, told the teachers, told everyone. He still didn't trust Izaya, despite his little act of "kindness" two days ago. And who would? He was nothing but a good for nothing flea that sucked on the misery of others.

Come to think of it, why did Izaya help him?

"Hey, Shinra… ," he started, going over the rest of his sentence within his mind. Yeah… that sounded good. "I-Is the flea ever nice to you?"

He cursed himself; he always stuttered when he thought about the subject too much. Hopefully Shinra didn't pick up on it.

"Who? Oh," the brunet nodded. "Sometimes, but it could be something as little as psychology or friend time and he'll demand something in return. But I doubt he'd ever be nice to you, Heiwajima-kun," he continued. "You both hate each other's guts. If he was nice to you about something, and it could be anything, he'll ask for something in return one hundred percent. I'd recommend hiding, but he could find you. He has… connections. To put it simply.

"But it depends on the thing he was nice about. If it's something small, don't worry, he'll probably just ask you to spy on some… random person. If it's seriously embarrassing, I'd suggest death, because what he's going to ask for won't be pretty."

And suddenly Shizuo was scared, very scared, wondering what Izaya might make him do in order to keep his crimes away from prying ears. He could kill Izaya, too, but the fact that Izaya was too well known throughout school, that he needed Izaya's help to hide bodies was preventing him. He didn't know what to do in such situations, it being Izaya's forte for some unknown reason.

"You see, Shizu-chan," Izaya demonstrated with a wave of his hands. "In situations like these you're very fortunate."

He grunted. "How so?"

"You can pick up the bodies with no problem, yes?"

Shizuo supposed that was true, he could easily maneuver himself even with the weight of four dead people upon his shoulders. He didn't want to think of something in such away, since even the thought of their mauled faces drew tears to his eyes and shivers to go down his spine. But nonetheless, he obeyed Izaya's silent command and picked them up one by one, two under each arm. Their still fresh blood seeped through his clothes and he had a feeling that he'd have to trash his shirt in the middle of the ocean, after scrubbing his skin clean off, of course.

"Perfect. Oh and Shizu-chan," he pointed to one of the corpses. "He's missing his hand. Better pick that up."

"How the fuck are you so calm… creep." Shizuo muttered under his breath, irritated at how much he seemed to be expecting this.

"Now that… Is something for another time."

Shizuo was good at cooking, if he said so himself. He made sushi with some wasabi and a dash of rice he steamed for lunch; he packed a bottle of milk and a roll cake to go on the side. His food wasn't five star maybe, but it was satisfying and left him proud of his abilities.

At least, the abilities he had to be proud of.

Surprisingly no one popped up today, just like no one had yesterday either, and Izaya didn't come forcing requisition of him. He still hadn't thought of way to get out of the man hole he had dug from letting himself slip, letting himself kill another person when he had been intending to pay them back for raping a little girl. And now the price was that his outlook on himself has changed, along with his view on life.

He was a hypocrite, living a world full of sickos. But he supposed not everyone was sick, as his brother and mother remained untainted and untouched. While his father was usually working, stopping by whenever he could, he was kind, too.

Perhaps it's because of hardships that a person becomes hardened and reproachful, becoming a twisted person themselves.

"Okay Heiwajima-kun, remember to study today! Finals are coming up on the basics Math, Japanese, English, Science and History. Be sure to come because making them up will sure be boring all by yourself when you could be doing something so much better."

"Yeah," was all that was said in reply, waving Shinra off to go home.

He was calm, rested, at peace for a little while during his walk.

As he turned down a familiar alleyway he usually took on his way, he stopped abruptly.

This was where he killed them. This was where they died, brutally, painfully.

Bile rose somewhere from his stomach to his esophagus and he shifted his hues downwards, trying to calm the sudden wave of nausea that permeated his being. He saw no blood, no sign of anyone that had been murdered there, but the fact that he did something so disgusting, so disgraceful was gnawing away his insides. He was utterly and completely disgusted with himself.

"If you're that shaken up," called a voice from somewhere above him. "You should probably leave."

Who the hell…?

Before he could lift his head up, a force crashed into him at full speed, knocking him successfully down onto his back. The pressure winded him despite his tolerance to pain and strength; he felt like his lungs were crushed, trying to gasp in air.

"Pleasure to see you again, Shizu-chan," Izaya smiled, keeping his position of holding Shizuo down by straddling him and twirling a switchblade within his hands. "It rained before anything could stay. You are seriously one lucky beast."

A short giggle made Izaya's lips turn upwards. Shizuo rose a dark eyebrow at his peculiar behavior, making no move to escape. He already had an idea of what Izaya wanted.

"You didn't have to ram into me, you fucking insect-" He growled, but was cut off by Izaya lunging his knife into the trash beside his head. It was less than two centimeters away, lodged deep. It could've easily been his throat and Shizuo knew that, gulping noticeably.

"I'm here for business." He bit out, face scrunched into one of lethal seriousness. "You don't have to say yes, but if you don't then there's two options: I tell the police what you did or I'll kill you. Remember that I know where the bodies are and that I never touched a single limb."

There was silence.

"It depends on my mood, to be honest. I'm feeling a bit on the irritated side, so don't make me do anything unreasonable. Even you know how much I hate personal matters getting into problems without it needing to be."

Shizuo knew he was at the end of his line. He had a free day and a nice, relaxing day at school; it was only a matter of time before it came back to haunt him.

"And what is it, flea?" He asked, sounding accusatory despite being pretty calm for a situation as dire as this.

"You have to…

Become my bodyguard."


	3. Chapter 3

"Bodyguard?" Shizuo had a complex look on his face, one between anger, confusion and wonder. "For what? Who the fuck do I gotta protect you from?"

Izaya noticed that Shizuo's words were not of disagreement, but rather disbelief. Did he really believe that Izaya had a nice life? That he got along with everyone? If anything, Izaya was one of the most hated people in Ikebukuro despite his young age. The teachers found his descend depressing, as he went from a quiet boy who did well, to a mostly absent teenager that did nothing but cause fights, but still somehow passed tests with flying colors. They believed he'd grow up to be someone important in life and in a sense they were correct; he was respected and feared. His business had blossomed once he had caught the attention of criminals who wanted information and the best part was that he didn't even have to do anything! People were so predictable that they wound up doing things his way on their own. Yet Shizuo…

Shizuo never did that. He would've never expected him to do what he did two nights ago in a million years, and he's still suspended in a sense of bemusement. Shizuo, the boy who picked up stray cats, who picked up stray ends, ended a life? Sometimes, when Shizuo didn't see him sneaking about, he'd see a smiling face and soft golden eyes that looked so kind they were practically brimming with it. Despite what little Shizuo knew of Izaya, Izaya knew every tiny physical detail thanks to robbing Shinra, thanks to blackmailing hospitals, and he knew that Shizuo was nothing but a mushy heart inside the hard shell he calls a body. Getting involved in what Izaya did everyday, exposing him to such disgusting things that will without a doubt twist him past recognition, that was Izaya's intention. And the bonus? He's protected. No more looking over his back and staying up at late hours, no more sleeping all day instead of not going to school. Besides, it's not like Shizuo would ever seize the chance to kill another person; they both knew that. When he threatened death, it was just his way of wanting to be left alone, which was respectable, in a weird kind of way.

"People, Shizu-chan. Haven't you ever felt like you were being stalked?" This was a double sided question. Izaya wanted to rationalize and know if he ever actually did notice that Izaya was watching over him.

"… Sometimes."

Izaya truly loved answers like this. It was a yes in both senses of the word.

"You seem rather lenient lately." He commented, clearly pleased with his newfound accepting and quieter nature. He was done with everything, as he noted, done with what though? He was given a second chance on a gold platter, but he supposed that it was too hot to touch; perhaps in another life Shizuo might've been luckier, but in this one it seemed like he swapped between good and bad luck. Bad in the mind, good for any physical experiences and it'd be pretty interesting to see Shizuo lose his mind before he could himself.

"I'm just tired, flea."

He knew, as in his position he could see the dark lines started to weave it's way under his eyes, looking sullen and depressed. He almost felt bad for him, but Izaya didn't really feel pity or sorrow, anger perhaps, but anger was highly instinctual and had to do with his godforsaken human body. Shizuo had a long life ahead of him if he was to remain in Izaya's company for over a week.

"How long will this shit go on for?" Shizuo asked, and it was the last one as far as Izaya could tell, with his defeated tone.

"However long it may be. It could be three days, three weeks, three years or three decades. I have enough on you to last a lifetime of your services - remember that, too."

For a second, Shizuo had a bitter expression flick upon his handsome face, obviously against working for someone he hated for the rest of his life. Yet, Izaya could see the strands of reason forming, knowing he had no choice but to follow under his rule until whatever he owed was done and paid for.

"I don't have a choice, then. I want to live, even if it means I have to work for your annoying ass." The blond concluded, but his aureate drew from crimson to burn a hole in a building wall from where he was placed upon the ground.

"Good." Izaya purred before retracting the knife from the ground and slashing Shizuo upon his cheek. "Later, Shizu-chan; you'll be seeing me a lot more in your life."

And then he was gone, leaving Shizuo to tend to his bleeding cut that felt like absolutely nothing.

He didn't really notice it, as his pain tolerance had shot up in the last couple of years. He realized Izaya sliced him, sure yeah. But he didn't feel it, and that made him feel worse. For the people he killed, they probably felt ever agonizing moment, slowly, painfully.

"Shizuo, what's wrong?" His mother had asked when he got home two days ago, looking upset, a bit traumatized.

Shizuo didn't register her speaking for a moment, and when he did his hues looked so empty that they were practically brown. He didn't respond, just giving a small nod, dropping his school bag onto the kitchen floor and proceeded to lock himself in his room for the night and the entire next day, trying to get his act together, trying to move on from what happened. Shinra had called, had texted him several times, Tom had even sent a worried message, but Shizuo didn't answer. He didn't want to. He just wanted to sleep and sleep and maybe everything would end up a nightmare, end up perfectly fine.

He knew he was just avoiding reality.

"Shizuo, what's wrong?" was the same inquisition she had that night, nervous that her son might've gotten upset again.

"Nothing, mom. Long day at school." He replied quietly. "Sorry I scared you. I-"

"Don't worry about that! Your cheek is bleeding! What happened? Are you okay? Did you get into another fight?"

Shizuo really did have nothing to worry about with a mother as kind and protective as her, he wondered why he even thought that she'd be angry at him; he's never once heard her voice rise, even when he almost threw a fridge at Kasuka.

She grabbed the nearest napkin, wetting it under the faucet, coming to stand an inch taller than Shizuo, to wipe at his cheek. She kind of expected it, the way that his cut wasn't really bleeding anymore and had healed half-way, crusty russet not really blood, but instead remnants that it had.

"N-no. I'm fine… a bit shaky…"

He saw her chocolate eyes open wide in excitement, almost like she had been waiting for him to say that.

"Then I have just the thing," she gestured to a box on the kitchen table, decorated with pretty little designs and and an elegant name, "Patisserie Grasstiara", written in script. It was something he hadn't had in a long time, he already knew, a warm, happy feeling blooming in his chest.

"Is…" He started, but stopped, knowing it was.

He opened the top, it sliding back easily and saw a variety of one of his favorite sweets he hasn't had in years.

"Manju… I don't even remember the last time I had one of these."

Namiko smiled something small, but genuine as she tossed the napkin in the garbage. "You were really little. It was when you were around six or eight, I forgot. But you loved them a lot and it just popped into my head today. You've seemed sad lately, lost, and it's been making me sad because you're so much better off smiling. You're so handsome when you smile y'know? Just like your dad."

He felt heat prick the edges of his ears.

"Take it slow, okay? I'm sure that whatever happened will go away with time."

That made Shizuo frown, because she had no clue what happened.

He felt a sudden surge of pity brake his heart into two, for his poor mother that gave birth to such a monster.

Izaya didn't intend to do this with his time, but he supposed that if he were going to get Shizuo into such a business, he might as well prevent more people from sinking into underground politics. It was ridiculously noble, if Izaya had to say anything, and from the look Shiki was giving him from the other side of the backseat. From under the guy's fedora he saw amusement gleam in black, like this whole thing was nothing but a child playing pranks that were bound to fail.

"Informant-san," the man in the white dress suit gained Izaya's attention, but his tone was mocking; he still thought Izaya was too small a kid to get into such matters he was almost knee deep into. "Heiwajima-san's family seems to be especially vulnerable and open. Are you positive he intends to work with us?"

"You already know why, Shiki-san. You shouldn't even have to ask." Izaya replied with sugar in his voice.

A small moment of silence passed between the occupants in the vehicle.

"Blackmail is very low, Informant-san."

"And so is murder. I can't keep up with what I'm doing all the time; I'll pass out from exhaustion. This way is better for everyone involved, I get sleep and a five star bodyguard and you might get yourself a new right hand man, since he's your type: mushy and sticks to rules."

"Except for him, he sounds very domesticated."

"Please, Shiki-san, enough with the jokes. Despite being a goody goody, he has a nasty temper that is as worse as a rabid pit bull." Izaya snorted.

"Someone in such a state might only cause trouble."

"Someone in such a state will bring great things, just you wait." With that, Izaya ended the conversation, but started to visibly shake as if he were actually excited for the things to come up once Shizuo official became his protector.

"No boundaries, no boundaries, no boundaries…"

Shiki gave him a glance of concern before looking out the window.

To be true, Shizuo did exactly what Shinra advised and got out all his textbooks from beneath layers and layers of old clothes and messy papers. He set them all down, then questioned whether or not he felt like putting up with Math or Science today and, after tapping his chin a few times, decided Math. Besides, they were doing a rather fun and easy section, just four step to five step equations and he had always done well in regards to subjects like those.

He laid back on his bed with a pencil and the box of manju at his side, for motivation and energy.

"Three divided by one equals three, sixty four times two equals one hundred twenty eight, twenty minus eight equals twelve," to be honest, they were really simple and he found it made him feel smarter if he muttered every step under his breath. He wrote them all in his textbook, since it was only pencil and he could just erase everything; he was too lazy to get up and grab some loose leaf paper.

"… ah, fine," he heard through his journey into concentration, but it wound up snapping it into half.

Kasuka was out with his uncle for the week, so who… ? He dropped his things and strolled to the door, pressing his ear as close to it as he could.

"Thank you, Heiwajima-san."

He knew that voice.

"Shizuo-kun's day will brighten up immediately."

But it was too close to the door, by the time he noticed. That damn flea! How the fuck does he move so fast and quietly?

It opened and Shizuo found himself shoulder-to-face with none other than the great Orihara Izaya himself, clutching onto what looked like an entire stack of useless sheets of white.

"Excuse me, for a second, mom." He ground out through clenched teeth before yanking the raven into his room and shutting the door.

"What the fuck, flea?! What could you possibly want from my family that required you to come to my house, of which I don't know how you even got my address. And what's with that shit stack?"

"It's an object of interest, Shizu-chan. Don't you know that there are several ways you can find to approach someone you don't know?" Izaya sounded bored.

"Of course I do, like pokemon bullshit, right?"

He received a blank look. "How is it like pokemon, you protozoan?"

"Y'know, like substitute. A distraction-Whatever. What's the big deal that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"Be sure to have your bags packed tonight."

Shizuo's eyebrows came together. "What, why?"

"You don't have to leave here or anything, it's just that you might get called in the middle of the night and won't be back until four days later. That's theoretically speaking, of course. It's might be a whole month, maybe an hour."

"That's kind of drastic, flea."

"It has to be with what you're about to get involved in."

The blond tilted his head. "What am I getting into?"

Oh, how innocent. Izaya felt like puking from how impossibly ignorant the other teen was. "You'll see."

Just like all the other times before, the smaller teen stood up and left without any other word.

"What a creep… " Shizuo groused, picking up the empty pieces of paper neatly stacked on the floor. He looked towards the books on his bed and found himself without any desire to study, except sleep for fifty days.

He picked up everything and moved them to his desk, trying to think of things to pack. His first thought was his 3DS, stocked away in his dresser, but he could do that later. His phone, he always had on him. He didn't even question how in the world Izaya knew his number, but he should've known he knew; that was part of Izaya's nature; knowing things.

Now then… clothes.

He opened his dresser and literally took everything out, opening a gigantic luggage bag he had in his closet still from his recent trip with his family to Hokkaido. It was short, a week at most, but it was enjoyable and his father managed to come; he was really happy when he first heard the news.

He tried to think of anything else besides belts and thought of bleach and razors, since both were a necessity, along with a bottle of cologne just in case it got really hot outside.

Other than the things already packed, there wasn't anything else really. He was simple to please, just give him clothes, hygienics, an electronic and a thing to sleep on and he'd be great for couple days if you included food, which he's sure would be.

He threw the futon from the closet to the corner of his room, out in the open to snatch whenever.

Finally, he decided he was done for today, going to the kitchen to grab something to eat before going back to his room. He ate and left the plates sprawled out on the rugs, tugging the covers up and over his head and passing out.

He could think deeper over what Izaya said tomorrow, but right now all he wanted to do was sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Shizuo ended up getting another day of peace. Izaya was nowhere to be seen, Shinra congratulated him on studying (despite it being for not even five minutes) and Tom wanted to get to know Shizuo, so he decided to stay around him a while longer.

He paid attention to what they were saying, he swore he did, but had to admit that his attention didn't last for more than a few seconds, eventually drifting towards Izaya and what he said yesterday. In a sense, he should've been a little bit worried for what was to come, but found it hard to do that, since he was no longer going to prison. He took every day as a blessing now, every day as a gift, so he kind of looked forward to what was going to happen. It excited him, since he knew life was going to change in an interesting sort of way, and he was confused by the whole 'pack your bags' thing last night, but he was curious and insanely, insanely interested.

Would he know what happened to Izaya? It was one of the biggest mysteries - what he did when absent and what he was really like. Some created rumors like that he was an orphan living on his own, that he worked for some type of agency, that he was actually an actor in the rising (which wasn't hard to believe since he was so pretty), that he was just pretending to be a jerk. Shizuo doubted the whole 'pretending' one, since Izaya was absolutely thrilled to cut Shizuo right across the chest, and he had paid that guy to slam him in with a truck.

He felt hate, resentment rising when the thought came up; he shoved it away before he felt like ripping Izaya's intestines out from his throat. He was still angry from when Izaya slashed his face, but wished he could've gotten back at him instead of just wanting to; he'd never dream of fucking the raven up in the same house as his mother, no matter how bad the cruelty.

Someone shook his shoulder.

"Heiwajima-kun," Shinra. "We have a new assignment that requires partners; you don't have to do anything, just pretend you are and we should be good. Besides, you suck at Biology and I think I'm pretty good at it."

"Great." Shizuo drawled, raising his hand.

"Yes, Heiwajima-san?"

"Can I go to the restroom?"

The teacher nodded once, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Perfect. Shizuo felt like his head was about to explode.

No one else was there, save for a small buzzing noise in the background from the air conditioners, a draft coming in from the tiled ground. It was so quiet, so very quiet and Shizuo found a spot to stay in with the flawless combination between cool and warm, leaning his head back to rest against the wall. He didn't want to leave this little bubble of space, his head hurt a lot and his shoulders were starting to weigh too much, so much that he could feel his spine bending to the slouching position he's retained for the hours he spent just staring at something in his room.

Soon enough, he found his gaze wavering, a burn coming up from his chest to behind his eyelids, so he crushed the feeling by closing his amber hues for a while; he cried once a few days ago and that was good enough to last a lifetime. He couldn't help the shame he felt from crying since he was sure everyone felt it, but hoped he wouldn't be so emotionally distraught in the days to come.

"Hey, Shizu-chan. We accidentally cross ways again - isn't that a coincidence?"

A growl rose from inside him,"Flea, you are getting really FUCKING annoying. Leave. Bother me when I don't have a headache."

Izaya tsked. "If that's how you act with a headache, I'd say you'd have one all the time."

"Izzzaaaaya-kuuun…"

"Is that what I get for helping you? A go away? A 'you're annoying'? Maybe I should tell Kasuka, though that wouldn't be very fun, he never reacts to anything I do-"

There was a loud bang as Izaya's body hit the stall door, head cracking against marbled black. Though it sounded painful and most of all bone crushing, the vermillion-eyed boy glared dead into Shizuo's gold and smirked. The action made the blond tighten his grip on Izaya's forearms harder, looking to kill.

"Flea, I swear to fucking God, if you don't learn to mind your own business and leave someone alone it will bite you in the ass one day."

"You trying to give me advice? Mr. I-have-no-common-sense." Izaya spat, making Shizuo flinch back an inch.

"What the fuck? I don't understand shit of what you're saying and would never want to; all you bathe in are lies and filth."

Izaya would put his hand up to his heart if he could, in a false gesture of hurt. "Ouch, trying to burn me protozoan? Too bad, since you seem to forget the most important of things when you really need to remember them."

There was a tingle in his side, beneath his ribs.

"What?" Shizuo drew away from Izaya to glance at the knife sunk deep into flesh. It was bleeding quite a lot, the telltale signs of it leaking too much dripping down the legs of his blue khakis. "Huh."

"It must hurt quite a lot, Shizu-chan."

In response, Shizuo simply grabbed the handle of it and pulled it out, not flinching in the least. "Haven't I already told you I can't feel pain? Fucking dumbass."

At this the raven seemed ecstatic, a weird sort of grin making his eyes narrow. "So no matter what happens to you, you can't scream."

"You," Shizuo said. "Are fucked up."

He was washing the knife out, indifferent to the fact that it was his blood going down the drain and his blood currently creating a small pool onto the stark white tile.

"Stitches?"

"Probably, now leave me alone and go back to sucking lives," he turned around and flicked water into Izaya's face, smiling gleefully at him when he stumbled back. "And I'm keeping your knife. Who knows what else you stab with it on your free time?"

Proud and tall, Shizuo walked out of the bathroom without any trace of anger, congratulating himself on his achievement on self control. Lucky for him, Izaya was rather bored by his behavior as of late, so he left him alone and didn't try to follow.

The blond went to the nurse with no problems, asking to use the bathroom before she could see what happened. The dark red river had stopped and as for his wound, it was not at all deep, like there was something within his skin that blocked it from passing a certain point. Unfortunately, his clothes were stained and he doubted that they could be removed; thankfully, he had tons of spare clothes for himself and more, so he didn't have much to worry about.

He was just happy he could leave early today. He'll call Shinra later, but as of now he'll just enjoy his walk home.

Shizuo appreciated his space. He really, really did. But he knew that good things aren't meant to last forever and he knew that well when he was about to go to sleep and he got a text from none other than the troublemaker himself. He considered brushing it off and saying that he was sleeping like a log and missed it, but he knew he would get some type of brutal penalty and if he had choices, he'd avoid it, even if he couldn't feel it. He avoided violence at all costs, despite being practically granted with the power of war.

'Tonight at 0:00, be out and ready. Meet me at West Gate Park. And in case your protozoan brain hadn't noticed, this is Izaya.'

For once in his life, he thought hard and long before texting back, the screen of his android lighting up his face in complete darkness.

'Do I need to bring anything?'

He waited .2 seconds. Wow, Izaya texts back fast as hell.

'No, just don't wear anything flashy.'

Like he has anything besides his school uniform, combat boots, several pairs of jeans and plain white tees. Nonetheless, he shrugged before getting ready, knowing his mother was asleep in wonderland and wouldn't cause him any troubles.

At exactly 23:00, he was out the door and into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

It was nice outside for nighttime, the moon was high, in it's waxing phase, the air was neither humid nor hot, and there was a slight breeze that crawled every few minutes that cooled him down in such a pleasant way he had to bask in it. And that he did, neck slowly bending back in peace. The sky was lit with bright city lights that blended together, yet contrasted in reds, blues, yellows and greens. Buildings were open still and bustling with several dozens of people, even at such a late hour; it was providing him with a sense of safety, somehow.

There was no rush in meeting Izaya at 0:00 sharp, since he left a whole hour early and he lived a fifteen minute walking distance from where his destination was. And though he never really tried it, he found that evening walks close to early, early in the morning were kind of relaxing, making a mental note to try this more often. He wanted as much as he could get to help him with his anger problems and this might be a breakthrough.

He thought of maybe taking a quick detour to where he was headed, but thought better of it. It was already 23:50, he'd prefer not to get on that flea's bad side.

Crossing the street quickly, before any cars could attempt to hit him again, he padded into the walkways of West Gate Park with a sense of exhilaration.

The famous fountain in the middle was up and running it's spurts of water, a variety of colors escaping from nearby buildings and making it change. There were a few people that hung around the surroundings, but none that looked remotely like Izaya; he figured the insect would be the one to show up late on his own sick events.

Shizuo stood awkwardly for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. He could sit, maybe? Or he could try to blend in.

Curiously, the blond trailed the outskirts of the circle enclosing the fountain several feet wide. He ended up by a person who was smoking, the separate paths of smoke disappearing into pollution for the atmosphere. He wrinkled his nose a little, not understanding why people wanted to destroy their lungs. It was a question he posed to his father once, a year or two ago. He had said that "It released stress".

Boy, could he use some stress relievers.

"Um, hey… ," he started, unsure. "Can I have one?"

He beat himself up mentally after, thinking of course he wouldn't give a kid-

"Sure," the man dug into his sweatshirt's conjoined pocket and pulled out a pack of red Malboro's. "Always here to help a fellow guy in need."

Taking one out from the pack, he nodded a thanks, and turned around to find Izaya at the fountain, waving at him as if he were blind.

"Jesus fucking christ, Shizu-chan. Leave someone to die, why don't you?" Izaya stated, rather than asking.

Shizuo knew it wasn't meant to mean anything more than a few words, but he still felt the aftermath of an unspoken burn, leaving his gaze to rest somewhere.

"That's besides the point. You're here on business, today."

"Tomorrow?"

"Whatever. Just get the job done and we'll have no problems, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'd rather be sleeping."

"Now," Izaya began more seriously. "We're doing this as co-workers. You're still my bodyguard, but you have to do things besides protect me from harm."

"Like?"

The raven reached into his jean and held up a picture. It was of a guy in his mid-twenties, a stubble beard, cigar in his mouth and a heavy trench coat of an unusual beige. Why dress so flashy? "This. Is who we're monitoring."

Shizuo's jaw clenched. "Stalking? Fucking hell, flea. What for?"

He got a shrug in response. "He's interesting, maybe."

"Creep.. "

"Y'know, you've been saying that a lot Shizu-chan. Is there any other word you know?" Izaya put his hand in front of his lips, trying to imitate a pose of awe and disbelief.

"Shut the fuck up before you lose a bone."

"You mean brake."

"I know what I fucking said."

The other boy shrugged, not in the mood for a fight when he was trying to work.

"He goes to work here."

"At fucking one in the morning?"

"Why not?"

Shizuo grunted, not knowing how to answer.

Out of all the places, he should've guessed Ikebukuro Station would be one, packed with people at all hours of the day. The smells from the bakery and other food stores from inside were getting to his head, making him wish he would've brought some goddamn money. But what's done is done and alas, he was penniless.

"H-hey," fuck. "What are you doing?"

"Getting food," Izaya said, smirking. "Can't do stuff on an empty stomach. Plus, it gives us an excuse to hang around."

"Can-"

"No. If you're that desperate, go beg."

There was a loud grumble from Shizuo's stomach, a blush appearing on his lightly tanned face. "F… Fine… "

"Good dog. Now fuck off at a table."

He complied, albeit reluctantly, finding a place to sit somewhere in the mass of chairs and surfaces. There were also booths, but he didn't really like booths; they left him exposed and feeling invaded for some reason.

So he sat in a random one, trying to look as casual as possible, even if he's never been to anything like this. His mother got stuff for him from places similar, but he hadn't gone to it.  
Bored, he tucked his chin under his folded arms on the table, waiting for Izaya to come. From a sideways view he saw a face that looked familiar, one he saw recently, and that's when it clicked: That was the guy!

He thought about getting up and telling Izaya, but he realized that the raven already knew and was keeping a distinct watch on him as he took his order. As if he'd give himself away, he quickly averted his hues downwards and towards something intangible. It's not that he didn't know how to properly watch something, more like he didn't want to risk anything arising from his clear stares.

"Shizu-chan," he heard a muffled voice over the hushed restaurant sounds. The small teen was munching on a hamburger, with a sweet tea in his right hand. He slid into the chair across from the blond with ease, glancing so discreetly at the man behind the cash register that he almost thought he might have imagined it. "This guy is so dumb-ooh."

The noise he produced sounded inhuman, Shizuo registering that he had choked on his drink. He didn't intend to do it, he really didn't, but all of a sudden a bubble traveled from his chest to his mouth and he snorted before he could contain it. So even Izaya could swallow the wrong way sometimes.

"Shut up, you protozoan. Be quiet." Izaya had his face angled away from the taller teen's, just now coming back to meet him dead in the eye. "This guy is in a lot of trouble."

"Hahahaaa… really?"

Izaya nodded, his teasing gaze back. "But that's all the information your getting. From me."

Shizuo found this situation pleasant in a heartbeat. "So we're supposed to be superheroes and bring him down?"

"Christ, you really are a child."

His lips settled into a pout that he didn't mean to do. "I was just trying to be nice for once, flea. I'm stuck with you, so we have to learn to get together eventually."

The raven hummed at the challenge, trying to ignore it through the pleasures of eating. "You know what I really don't like? People with dyed blond hair, a lack of fashion sense and a horrible sense of humor." He cackled under his breath .

"Thanks," Shizuo said monotonously.

"My pleasure."

A stiff type of silence passed through the both of them, as melancholy as it was tense. Both of them wanted to get along, but their egos wouldn't let them. With Shizuo's need for some relaxation, Izaya intended to keep his mind straight with few distractions unless they could spare the time. But since it was a look-after job, Izaya couldn't risk a single blink.

"I'm throwing this out. Do me a favor and keep a look out."

"Mmm."

Shizuo checked the time on his phone; it was creeping closer to 2 bit by bit, a 1:40 displayed evenly and accordingly. He guessed he wouldn't mind sleeping in from school tomorrow, and to him it sounded really good.

Izaya came back urgently, a "hurry up" screaming from the way his facial features were forming.

The blond jumped out of his seat and ran after the bolting raven, confused by the random rush.

"What happened?" He asked.

"His shift ended. We have to follow him home."

"How?"

A wicked look encompassed his countenance, just waiting for this question.

"Haven't you heard of pick locking using shoelaces?"

"He's really dumb."

"I know, Shizu-chan. Even more stupid than you."

After they left the station, the man they were following hadn't shown up until a good ten to twenty minutes afterwards. On top of this, Izaya and Shizuo learned that he didn't put the alarm on his car, so they broke into his vehicle with no problems or people to see, since it was stationed in a staff reserved area.

"Now we go on the ground by the front seats, just be sure not to fucking move or we'll both be dead."

"Um… how will we get out?"

"The problem will come when it arises Shizu-chan, now get in the fucking car."

Shizuo gave him pure untainted uncertainty. But he listened to Izaya's orders and crouched down low, observing as the other closed and locked the door, and copied his motions. This made Shizuo and Izaya's faces get a bit too close to each other, both getting increasingly uncomfortable.

"Shizu-chan, do me a favor and keep your head against the floor."

"… "

Despite not wanting to, he quietly pressed his cheek to the rug of the car. He didn't know why it was such a big deal, but he knew that being so close irritated Izaya only when they weren't about to fight. One day, he swears, he'll figure out why, and this promise wasn't out of concern for Izaya, rather it was Izaya as a person. He figured not everyone could be so strong all the time.

"He's coming." Was the last thing he heard before the car door opened and Shizuo's heart stopped.

"Fucking people expect me to stay another thirty minutes; fuck that, I have better shit to do." The man sounded upset, and as Shizuo tried to lift his golden eyes to scan Izaya's expression, he realized he couldn't. Was that what Izaya didn't want him to see?

The jingle of car keys being picked out was unnaturally loud, what with Shizuo's heart pounding away at such a fast beat. The vehicle rocked slightly as the man got in, a turn revving the engine, a bam as the handle was pulled roughly to close the door. Pressing his cheek to the ground got troublesome quick, the mechanics of the Toyota making his head hurt from constant noise.

The guy drove out, making a sharp turn to head out onto the highway. Streetlights flickered from outside the windows, streaming in at softer colors than what really was; were the windows tinted?

Izaya, on the other hand, paid attention to how heavy the man was breathing, for signs of suspicion. Shizuo was doing good, according to him, keeping silent and acting like a good "co-worker" for once. He saw the guy's hand move a bit nervously, dark eyes in the rear view mirror flitting to out the window and back to the street. Definitely suspicious.

"Got me on my fucking heels, who the fuck do they think they are?" was barely audible, and Izaya's hues darted to the blond with him, seeing that he didn't hear. Good, he thought. Shiki'll be happy to hear this; though I think we might need to keep close watch for another day or two, and Shizu-chan will have to start keeping night watch tomorrow.

The car stopped abruptly and for a moment Izaya feared that Shizuo would fuck up and slam into the the backseat, but was pleased to find that he didn't move a single bit.

The ignition was flipped off as he the man got out, not even bothering with the alarm. Footsteps faded and a slam was distantly heard.

"Coast clear."

Shizuo stretched out immediately, white t-shirt pulling back to expose defined washboard abs, tanned skin the same as on his cheeks. He flipped the car lock and hopped out as soon as he could feel his feet again, locking everything again once he was out.

"The corner by Loewe, huh?" The blond saw that Izaya had long left him, gazing up at the street sign. "We'll come here tomorrow. It might be his friend's place, though."

"I'd ask questions, but I'm guessing I don't have the right." Shizuo punctuated.

"Of course you don't. Let's leave, Shizu-chan. I'd like to be asleep before 3, no?" He preened his black blazer a bit, glaring distastefully at Shizuo's shirt. "White's such a flashy color; you're so lucky his seats were white leather or you'd be fucking gone."

"I'm surprised he didn't notice you with your dark ass outfits." The gold eyed boy picked his pockets and found that cigarette from that man an hour or two ago, surprisingly not crushed. He had put it in his front pockets didn't he? "Hey, flea. You got a lighter?"

"Always. And speaking of which, don't you still have my switchblade?"

"And will keep it. I'm not giving it back, you knife nut-" at this Izaya sighed, "Stick out the lighter. I want to try something."

Izaya listened for once in his life, flipping the little metal piece back and pressing the red button to ignite the fire. "Here, do it while I hold it. What do…"

Shizuo stuck the end of the stick into the fire and watched as it smoked. Cautiously, he brought the tan end to his lips and took a deep drag, only to hack from the sudden dryness that invaded his mouth. He thought of tossing it right then and there, but decided to give it another shot, another drag. This time, it settled a bit more quickly and felt kind of cool, like he was making smoke figures or something of the sort.

"Hey… let me try." He heard Izaya request. Looking at his tiny frame and more vulnerable looking body, Shizuo would've decided against it if it weren't for the fact that Izaya destroying himself didn't sound half bad, so he passed the cigarette to the raven.

Briefly, he flinched and almost dropped it (Shizuo could guess it was from the barely damp side from his saliva), but collected himself and seemed to brave something inside him, bringing it to his own lips and taking a deep breath in. He coughed instantaneously, flinging the object backwards and not even bothering to put it out.

"What the fuck, flea? I was enjoying that!" The blond growled, wanting to go back, but didn't. It'll go out eventually.

"That's poison, you protozoan! You'll damage yourself!" Izaya shot back.

Shizuo didn't hesitate to say "So?" But stopped and avoided eye contact. Izaya noticed that and truly thought that if he could feel pity, the first person it would go to would be Shizuo.

And they both supposed they let this whole situation go a bit too far.


End file.
